Belarusian spring: finding hope in dark times

Belarus had been considered a lost cause for a long time by political pundits. That is until last summer - the summer of a social miracle that had not been predicted by any political analysts, researchers or journalists, either national or international.

This time six months ago, newspapers around the world were publishing photos of the largest public rallies in the history of the country. Impressive in their imagery, they looked more like a political carnival with flowers, creative sl...